As expectations around responsible business conduct continue to rise, organisations are under increasing pressure to understand, manage and respond to grievances across complex global supply chains. From labour rights and working conditions to environmental and community concerns, grievance mechanisms play a critical role in identifying risk and enabling meaningful remediation.
However, as supply chains expand across regions and regulatory expectations evolve, many organisations face a common challenge: grievance data is often fragmented, inconsistent, and difficult to analyse at scale. Without clear, comparable insight, it becomes harder to identify trends, prioritise action, and demonstrate effective due diligence.
To address this challenge, LRQA has enhanced its Grievance Mechanism offering with the introduction of a Global Grievance Mechanism protocol, supported by a new interactive data dashboard that brings grievance data together in one place.
A global approach to grievance mechanisms
Historically, grievance mechanisms have often been implemented on a country-by-country basis, with local issue categorisation protocols developed to reflect specific legal, cultural, and operational contexts. While this localised approach remains essential, it can result in inconsistencies in how grievances are categorised, tracked, and reported across regions.
LRQA’s new Global Grievance Mechanism protocol addresses this by applying a single, standardised approach across all worker helplines and grievance channels. This unified approach ensures that grievances are categorised consistently, regardless of geography, while still being informed by local insight and implementation.
The updated protocol also expands the scope of issues that can be captured, reflecting the evolving nature of due diligence expectations. In addition to labour-related concerns, the global grievance mechanism protocol can now capture a broader range of issues, including environmental and community-related grievances, providing a more holistic view of risk across supply chains.
Turning consistent data into meaningful insight
Standardisation is only part of the solution. To be truly effective, grievance data must also be accessible, transparent and easy to interpret.
To support this, LRQA has introduced the Grievance Mechanism Interactive Data Dashboard.
Built in alignment with the global protocol, the dashboard provides clients with near real-time visibility of grievance data across their supply chains. By logging into EIQ Analyse, users can explore grievance information at different levels, from individual worksites and suppliers to country and regional views.
Rather than relying on static reports, the dashboard allows users to interact with the data directly. Customisable filters make it possible to explore specific grievance categories, track trends over time, and identify patterns that may indicate emerging or systemic risks.
Supporting better decision-making and action
By bringing grievance data together into a single, interactive view, the dashboard helps organisations move beyond reactive case management towards a more strategic approach to risk management.
Clients can use the insights generated to:
- Identify high-risk geographies, suppliers, or grievance categories
- Monitor how risks evolve over time
- Prioritise remediation efforts based on evidence
- Strengthen internal reporting and transparency
Combined with LRQA’s grievance mechanism expertise and local implementation partners, the dashboard supports organisations in turning grievance data into actionable intelligence, helping them respond more effectively to issues raised by workers and communities.
Strengthening transparency across global supply chains
The launch of the Global Grievance Mechanism protocol and interactive data dashboard reflects LRQA’s ongoing commitment to supporting responsible sourcing and human rights due diligence at scale.
By combining global consistency with local insight and pairing robust protocols with intuitive data visualisation, LRQA is helping organisations gain clearer visibility of grievance risk and take more informed, timely action across their supply chains.
Find out more about LRQA’s grievance mechanisms for global supply chains.
